1200 is not difficult.
gabriellejayde
Posts: 607 Member
I've been reading the forums tonight and have read around 10 different posts from people saying that 1200 is impossible, or that unless they workout, there's no calories left for dinner, or that 1200 calories a day translates to starving yourself or living on only salads.
My diary is open- I eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. If you eat healthy, real food, 1200 calories is not difficult and I'm not starving. make good choices and avoid garbage - then if you go over, it's not a big deal. sometimes I'm under 1200 - I get busy and don't want to eat at 10pm just to get calories in.
Btw, I started at 255, 2 months ago and have lost 29lbs and feel good. I'm not saying that a person with less to lose should restrict as much, but for me, and a lot of other people, losing the weight fast is more motivating to stick to their plan than being allowed to eat more but only losing .5 lbs a week.
My diary is open- I eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. If you eat healthy, real food, 1200 calories is not difficult and I'm not starving. make good choices and avoid garbage - then if you go over, it's not a big deal. sometimes I'm under 1200 - I get busy and don't want to eat at 10pm just to get calories in.
Btw, I started at 255, 2 months ago and have lost 29lbs and feel good. I'm not saying that a person with less to lose should restrict as much, but for me, and a lot of other people, losing the weight fast is more motivating to stick to their plan than being allowed to eat more but only losing .5 lbs a week.
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Replies
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Good for you. It's not a good plan for most. I would suggest going and getting your BF hydrostatically tested or get a DEXA scan done and keep tabs on your muscle mass with that rapid of a weight loss.0
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Amen... I do agree. I have 3 meals, 2 snacks, and a dessert after dinner and I'm at 1200 with the right macros for me (40% carbs 40% protein 20% fat and 20-25g of fiber)!
Oh and I'm 5'0...0 -
Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.0
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I started out with 1200 and I just recently bumped it up just slightly to 1250 because I didn't want to go UNDER 1200 and I was tired of seeing the calories in red if was just ONE calorie over 1200.0
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To me yogurt isn't a meal. If you're exercising you need more than 1200 calories.0
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Wow I have a issue going from 1680 to 1440 to 2 lbs lost per week ...
1440 I feel like I am starving but 1680 I dont have an issue at all..
210 lbs 29 years old...
1200 I would be murdering people0 -
Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.
If your profile pic is current, you clearly don't have as much fat to lose as I do.
I have noticed that often when someone posts about eating 1200 cals a day, people are quick to jump in to say it's not enough, but slow to ask how much they have to lose.
When I get closer to a healthier weight, I will slowly increase my calories, but for now, 1200 is working, and not difficult.
and I'm not in a coma.
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If it works for you that's great. It didn't work at all for me!0
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Wow I have a issue going from 1680 to 1440 to 2 lbs lost per week ...
1440 I feel like I am starving but 1680 I dont have an issue at all..
210 lbs 29 years old...
1200 I would be murdering people
You're a guy. (in case you didn't know). and closer to your goal, i bet. probably even taller than me, unless you're a super short guy.
I would think 1200 would be too low for you too.0 -
To me yogurt isn't a meal. If you're exercising you need more than 1200 calories.
why?
Yogurt is sometimes breakfast. Other times, I have eggs or 2 packets of oatmeal. It's a pretty normal breakfast.0 -
I'm probably pass out after a few days if I only ate 1200 calories, haha. My breakfast alone is usually 500-600.0
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1200 is possible but for some reason isn't healthy for me to hold for any period of time. My hair starts falling out and I have no energy. I try to keep my calories a bit higher like 1400, around my BMR.0
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and I'm not in a coma.
Lol nice! I started about the same as you and have lost close to what you have since August (just don't weigh myself all the time...I tend to become scale-obsessed). I celebrated 60 days on mfp today and eat anywhere from 1200-1250 daily. I am doing great, feeling wonderful & have tons of energy. I don't feel psychotic on so 'few' calories and so far nobody has been murdered lol. It's working for us and that's all that should matter! Best of luck to you on your journey!!0 -
Honestly, I checked your diary, I simply could not survive on that. Not saying no one can, but 1200 on what you are eating would be very very difficult for me. A yogurt for breakfast just does not cut it for me. How close do you get to nutrient intakes?
For me, I don't want this to be a struggle, I want something sustainable.
I really dislike the implication that people who need more than 1200 calories eat garbage. I spent 5 months in preparation for a bodybuilding competition eating nothing but "clean" foods, ie lean protein, sweet potato, brown rice, green veggies, etc, ie no "garbage" and still ate more than 1200.0 -
Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.
If your profile pic is current, you clearly don't have as much fat to lose as I do.
I have noticed that often when someone posts about eating 1200 cals a day, people are quick to jump in to say it's not enough, but slow to ask how much they have to lose.
When I get closer to a healthier weight, I will slowly increase my calories, but for now, 1200 is working, and not difficult.
and I'm not in a coma.
I started losing weight at 245lbs, lost 50 lbs in about 14 months before becoming pregnant with my first, and since the birth of my second last year, have lost 44 pounds. So I did start close to where you started. Other than a few sick days, I have never eaten below 1800 to lose weight. I have also maintained almost all my lean mass.0 -
Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.
If your profile pic is current, you clearly don't have as much fat to lose as I do.
I have noticed that often when someone posts about eating 1200 cals a day, people are quick to jump in to say it's not enough, but slow to ask how much they have to lose.
When I get closer to a healthier weight, I will slowly increase my calories, but for now, 1200 is working, and not difficult.
and I'm not in a coma.
I think you missed her point about minimizing lean muscle mass loss by losing weight slowly.0 -
Wow I have a issue going from 1680 to 1440 to 2 lbs lost per week ...
1440 I feel like I am starving but 1680 I dont have an issue at all..
210 lbs 29 years old...
1200 I would be murdering people
You're a guy. (in case you didn't know). and closer to your goal, i bet. probably even taller than me, unless you're a super short guy.
I would think 1200 would be too low for you too.
I was just saying 1440 seems to be a rough equivalent in the difference between the losing 2 lbs to not losing etc. I really dont know what my point was .0 -
Honestly, I checked your diary, I simply could not survive on that. Not saying no one can, but 1200 on what you are eating would be very very difficult for me. A yogurt for breakfast just does not cut it for me. How close do you get to nutrient intakes?
For me, I don't want this to be a struggle, I want something sustainable.
I really dislike the implication that people who need more than 1200 calories eat garbage. I spent 5 months in preparation for a bodybuilding competition eating nothing but "clean" foods, ie lean protein, sweet potato, brown rice, green veggies, etc, ie no "garbage" and still ate more than 1200.
well of course you can eat more and not eat garbage.
I have no trouble with a yogurt for breakfast, but I usually have an egg white omelet. I usually have a mid morning snack of homeade beef jerky too.0 -
I'm having difficulty getting to 1200. It seems as if most of the time, I'm under the suggested caloric intake but I'm trying to watch my carbs intake with me having type II diabetes. Any suggestions on how I can get to the 1200 caloric intake. It's also hard to get the 1200 calorie intake since a lot of times, I don't really feel like eating when I'm not hungry.0
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1200 isn't difficult for me, but I accept that people are different and that it's difficult for some. If you like to eat three decent sized meals, your calories are all gone. I can see why others might find it difficult.0
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I've been on MFP for a few months. I started out set at a 2 lb. a week loss and was eating 1200 calories. I was going to the gym 3 times a week and was losing. After about a month and a half, I stalled and was feeling hungry much of the time. I had read on some of the forums about stalled weight loss on low calories and how people started losing again after upping calories. I changed my setting to 1 lb. a week and now get 1440 calories a day. I have started losing again and am much happier with my extra 240 calories.0
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I've been reading the forums tonight and have read around 10 different posts from people saying that 1200 is impossible, or that unless they workout, there's no calories left for dinner, or that 1200 calories a day translates to starving yourself or living on only salads.
My diary is open- I eat 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. If you eat healthy, real food, 1200 calories is not difficult and I'm not starving. make good choices and avoid garbage - then if you go over, it's not a big deal. sometimes I'm under 1200 - I get busy and don't want to eat at 10pm just to get calories in.
Btw, I started at 255, 2 months ago and have lost 29lbs and feel good. I'm not saying that a person with less to lose should restrict as much, but for me, and a lot of other people, losing the weight fast is more motivating to stick to their plan than being allowed to eat more but only losing .5 lbs a week.
Are you short? This works for most short people, not tall people. It all depends on your RMR. Taller people have a higher RMR so this would be to low for them.
1200 is such a stupid number to get stuck on. What you need to eat for a deficit is relative to your RMR.
To tell everyone eat more is wrong.
To tell everyone to eat less is wrong.
To find the exact amount of calories for you to be in a sustainable calorie deficit is correct. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others. Some people have emotional eating disorders and it comes into play. Even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux and everyone is different.
I was able to handle a pretty deep calorie deficit because I'm very disciplined and eat healthy (good fuel for the body so I can perform well at the gym) and I do not have emotional eating issues. I have a very low RMR so my doctor said I could go lower than 1200.
I'm glad it's working for you sweetheart, but it won't work for bigger people with higher RMR.0 -
To me yogurt isn't a meal. If you're exercising you need more than 1200 calories.
Yogurt is definitely a snack. (or an add-in)0 -
I'm sorry OP, but this thread is not going to end well for you.
People are going to jump all over you, you're going to get angry, and it's going to devolve in to a debate about starvation mode.
1200 calories is a BARE MINIMUM to get adequate nutrition. You're likely sacrificing muscle mass by losing so fast, and you're going to hit an early plateau. I don't want to attack you, I'm happy for your success thus far, but that's the truth.
The point should also be made that hunger is not a good barometer for adequate intake. Consider obese people, who eat, say, 7000 calories a day. They still get hungry between meals, despite getting plenty of calories. Also, people on VLCD's lose their regular appetite. Hunger is largely a trained behavior- you get hungry when you're used to eating. Think about when you have a big breakfast- often you'll still be hungry at your regular lunch time. Hunger can't be trusted.0 -
My diary is open and I think that I eat big, healthy meals yet consistently find myself below my goal of 1200. I just do my best to hit my macros. Feel free to have a look (maybe look at yesterday and the day before because it's only 11am here so today isn't full yet). Feel free to criticize if I'm doing something wrong, but I'm not hungry, I don't feel like I'm starving myself, and if I work out for an extended period of time, I just try to supplement it with a big green smoothie or something in the like.0
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Glad you can stick with it, but some of us prefer to minimize lean mass losses and would rather lose slower to do so.
If your profile pic is current, you clearly don't have as much fat to lose as I do.
I have noticed that often when someone posts about eating 1200 cals a day, people are quick to jump in to say it's not enough, but slow to ask how much they have to lose.
When I get closer to a healthier weight, I will slowly increase my calories, but for now, 1200 is working, and not difficult.
and I'm not in a coma.
That is true that someone with a high body fat percentage can safely do 1200 calories. It is also true that without enough protein and strength training, a higher portion of the weight loss will come from lean body mass. That is why I stick to 1800. it is about 100 calories over my BMR. And then I work my *kitten* off three times a week for about a half hour.
I think it's just about your goals. Some people want to lose weight, then get strong. I prefer to gradually get stronger while I gradually burn fat. It's just different goals. :flowerforyou:0 -
No thanks! I'll stay skinny and eat 1800-2100 calories a day. 0
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I eat at 1200 too. I eat all the time. Every few hours. I'm never hungry. I feel great, except when I hit "clock in".
I'm also short. I can't even reach the cereal. :sad:
I understand that taller people need to eat more.
I'm satisfied at 1200. I don't like people telling me I need to eat more.
Different strokes for different folks.
:drinker:0 -
Calories are not a one size fits all thing. It all depends on your BMR and TDEE. How tall you are, what lean muscle mass you have?
1200 is completely sustainable for some and not for others.
And I agree that it's not hard to do and I could choose foods to stay around 1000 calories but I know it's not healthy and that I will lose a higher amount of lean muscle mass then I want. I want fat loss, not just weight loss.0 -
My diary is open and I think that I eat big, healthy meals yet consistently find myself below my goal of 1200. I just do my best to hit my macros. Feel free to have a look (maybe look at yesterday and the day before because it's only 11am here so today isn't full yet). Feel free to criticize if I'm doing something wrong, but I'm not hungry, I don't feel like I'm starving myself, and if I work out for an extended period of time, I just try to supplement it with a big green smoothie or something in the like.
80 grams of corned beef (I think, I googled coles silverside), a tomato and some cucumber is not my idea of a big healthy meal.0
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